VASCULAR KINETICS

Our laboratory uses engineering methods to understand how integrated biochemical and biomechanical factors contribute to cardiovascular disease. Specifically, we change the biochemical environment (e.g., by changing glucose levels or extracellular matrix proteins) and measure how endothelial cells respond to mechanics (e.g., shear stress, cyclic strain, substrate stiffness). We also perturb the mechanical environment and measure how endothelial cells respond to biochemical signals, such as angiogenic growth factors. We currently study how vascular hemodynamics affect endothelial metabolism and how this varies in subjects of different sex and race. Our work integrates in vitro, ex vivo, in vivo, and in silico methods. We collaborate with investigators from diverse fields, including mechanical, chemical, and electrical engineering, kinesiology, biology, physics, and cardiovascular surgery... We believe that science and engineering benefit from diverse voices and an open, inclusive..